Today we have yet another WyzeCam related video.
Wyze Cam has officially launched their Alexa skill so we are going to take a look at that,
but beyond that so many of you have shared your tips and tricks including Wyze Cam accessories
that you're using to make your cameras even better, so based on that collective knowledge,
I've put together a list of accessories you might want to check out starting with the
Echo Show.
Wyze Cam Pan and Wyze Cam 2 both work with Alexa devices that have a screen.
This list includes Echo Show, Echo Spot, and Fire TV HD and 4K.
You can use your device to pull a live feed from your camera.
To get started, make sure that your WyzeCams are running the latest firmware.
Next, you'll have to head to the Alexa app.
Simply head to the settings menu and search for Wyze, then enable the skill by logging
into your WyzeCam account.
Once the two are connected, you can say things like, Alexa, show the Pan camera."
While you can't do much more than that, using your Echo device is definitely much easier
than finding your phone, opening up the app, to view a live feed.
Overall, I'm giving this accessory a thumbs up.
Joshua Gross, who by the way happens to have a YouTube channel which I've linked to above,
introduced me to this second product.
It's a rainproof and dust proof case made for WyzeCam.
I suggest using this case in a protected outdoor environment.
For example, Josh uses his casing mounted under an eave, and I have mine on the porch.
Overall, I'm giving the case a thumbs up, but with two warnings.
The camera itself is not weatherproof, so while the casing is going to protect it a
little bit, it's not going to protect your camera from everything.
Second, the casing covers the back of the camera, which is where the camera's speaker
is located so it will muffle its sound just a little bit.
This is how it sounds when it's covered.
This is how it sounds when it's uncovered.
Moving on to accessory number three, you might have noticed a USB port on the back of your
Camera.
Local storage is actually provided by the SD card slot, the USB slot is to allow
pass-through power.
You can actually power up to three Wyze Cam cameras using a single power adapter.
Any USB A to USB A cable should work if you want to daisy chain your Wyze Cam's so you
certainly don't have to use the same cable that I selected.
I tested the cable by using my Wyze Cam 2 to power my Wyze Cam Pan and it worked perfectly.
Next on the list, I tested two solar power options and landed on this solar charger made
by Soluser.
It's not weatherproof, but it is rain-splash and shockproof as well as dustproof.
But again, in this category, the actual product that I used is much less important than the
idea itself, and I stole this idea from Dan.
So, shout out to you Dan
To start, I set WyzeCam to full sensitivity, HD recording, sound detection off, sound recording
on, night vision set to auto, and I set it to record to the cloud only.
I started testing with a full battery an hour before sunset.
In total, the camera lasted just shy of 21 hours which means that it survived through
the night and beyond.
During that time, the camera was triggered about 75 times, and I initiated five live
streams.
After that first test, I tested the camera different ways using different settings, but
no matter what I tried, I always ended up with about 18-23 hours of battery life.
While I don't see how this solution would allow Wyze Cam to replace a true battery-powered
camera, I'm giving the idea itself a thumbs up.
I also have a bonus tip to share from wellcraft19.
In summary, he says,
"For those wanting to use Wyze Cam as a "wireless" camera, there are so many options for power.
Everything from inexpensive "USB power packs," to using a car or marine 12V lead-acid batteries,
to simply running a 12V cable supply line and using a 12V to USB converter.
"
wellcraft19 also has tips if you want to use the camera without WiFi so I've pasted his
comment in its entirety in the description below if you want to check that out.
In short, I don't know that I would have purchased accessories for Wyze Cam had you all not suggested
that I do so.
I think the beauty of Wyze Cam is its price, how inexpensive it is, so going out and spending
$415 on accessories as I just did seems a little silly.
But I think that the beauty is that if you have any problems with Wyze Cam or any shortcomings,
more than likely there's a third-party accessory that will at least help with the challenge that you're
having.
So if you have any questions, challenges that you want to overcome, let's talk
about them below, and I will see y'all soon.